They both arrived breathless, as if having run the last part of the journey. They stood there and stared at each other for a few moments. The click of the closing door broke the spell and one started to speak. "I didn't know if you would come." In wordless answer the other closed the distance between them and cupped his hand around the soft, uncertain face before him. The kiss was exquisite. He forgot to close his eyes, but it didn't matter. He couldn't see anything past the haze of desire that suddenly encompassed him. The kiss deepened and the bodies drew closer, shedding clothing as if by magic. Their ragged breaths came in intervals now and they sank to the floor in unison.
"I don't think you can smoke in here." Tryden told Spine.
"They're not gonna do anything to me, come on. Besides, I was about to put it out anyway. I have an idea: let's go grab something to eat. I saw this Vietnamese restaurant on the way here called 'These Pho'king Noodles' and I want to see if they're any good." Spine grabbed his sleeveless shirt and board shorts, and disappeared into the bathroom. Tryden picked up the still smoking cigarette and took a long slow drag before snuffing it out. In this motel rooms were rented by the hour. Spine was right. People probably smoked in here more often than not. The sounds of a shower drowned out the soft whir of the laptop turning on. He clicked the icon for TS3.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" A chorus of greetings chimed in his ears. "Just checking in. I know I said I wouldn't be here while I took my break, but I had some extra time." The shower stopped. "Gotta go, good luck on the raid." He closed the laptop and put it back in his messenger bag. By the time Spine came out of the bathroom Tryden had finished dressing.
"Let's get out of here, bro. There were shit stains on the ceiling in there. How the fuck did someone get shit stains on the ceiling?" They laughed and walked out of the room. It locked behind them, ready for the next clandestine meeting.
They didn't say goodbye when they parted. They had both agreed that goodbye was too painful. Tryden would be moving on to his real destination. Spine would be going home, fighting the airport traffic. This layover was just a brief bittersweet moment like all the others had been. They both had lives already. It was better to keep it light. Keep it secret. The single tear that slipped unnoticed down Spine's face was the only indication that maybe they were in too deep now.
